Hop To Singapore

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 701, 28 June 1929, Page 9

Hop To Singapore

SOUTHERN CROSS ON WING All Well, Says Last Message

WHEN the last message came from the Southern Cross, which is winging- its way over the Indian Ocean from Derby to Singapore, the monoplane had been 7 hours 20 minutes in the air, and all was well. The airmen expected to reach Singapore at 1 p.m. today. (United P.A. —By Tele-graph — Copyright)

Reed. 9 a.m. SYDNEY, Today. A message from Derby announces the departure from there of SquadronLeader Kingsford Smith, FlightLieutenant C. T. P. Dim (co-pilots), Mr. H. A. Litchfield (navigator), and Mr. T. H. McWilliams (wireless operator)- in the monoplane Southern Cross for Singapore. The airmen left at 5.40 p.m. yesterday Western Australian time (7.40 p.m. Sydney time), upon this, the second stage of their flight to England. A wireless message received from the crew at 8 p.m. Western Australian time stated: “Flying conditions are good. It is a starry night. We are doing over 100 knots. “We are now well over the Indian Ocean, at an altitude of 3,000 feet. We have felt a few bumps, but all are 0.K.” The latest message from the Southern Cross came at 3 a.m. today, Sydney time. It stated: "All well; speed 97 knots; altitude, 5,000 feet; flying by dead reckoning.” Before leaving, Kingsford Smith said they intended to fly via Sunda Strait, between Sumatra and Java. They expect to arrive at Singapore at 1 p.m. today. Arrangements have been made for an emergency landing at Anjer, on the southern side of the Sunda Strait. There the airmen may descend if adverse weather should be encountered.

The Dutch authorities have given instructions for radio messages to be . sent to guide the airmen. The distance from Derby to Singapore by air is about 1,650 miles. The next hop is from Singapore to Ran- | goon. TO FLY ATLANTIC i PLAN OF SOUTHERN CROSS l FLYERS L SIERRA LEONE TO BRAZIL \ Reed. 1.2 p.m. SYDNEY, Today. . Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieut. Ulm, in the South- . era Cross, intend to fly the Atlantic . after the completion of their business L in London, if their plans work out to ; schedule. The first stop in the flight-round-the-world sequence will be MadI rid, thence to Sierra Leone, from , where they will cross the Atlantic at ► practically the narrowest section to . Pernambuco, Brazil. The route will then be north to - Panama, across the gulf to Miami, ; and thence direct to New York. . There is every prospect of the - monoplane being sold in the United . States.